LIST 11 ARCHDEACONS OF WELLS

ARCHDEACONRY

Archdcnry. covered central area of dioc. and in 1291 comprised the deaneries of
Frome, Cary, Marston, Axbridge, Ilchester and Pawlett (Taxatio pp. 196-8).

Churches of Huish and South Brent united to archdcnry. of Wells by bp.
Reginald, established by bp. Savaric as one preb., to be attached to archdcnry. of
Wells in perpetuity, Lent 1195 × 8 Aug. 1205 (EEA X nos. 251-2). Thomas of
Earley was the first holder of the preb., which was held thereafter by successive
archdcns. of Wells (list 43).

Can. by 1 Aug. 1244 (unident. preb., list 67); provost of Combe; last occ. 13
Jan. 1269 (list 69). Referred to as having been archdcn., res. before 12 Dec. 1249
(Cal. I 79). As both Bath and Taunton were occupied at this time, he was perhaps
archdcn. of Wells for a short time, although he was not in office on 13 Apr. 1248
when he occ. without title in company with an unnamed archdcn. of Wells [? M.
William of Bitton I] (ibid. p. 81).

Occ. as archdcn. of Wells once only, 7 July 1269 (CPR 1266-72 p. 351). There
are only two known cans. with initial S. who might have held archdcnry. in this
period: Simon de Micham, who first occ. as can. 19 Sept. 1256 and became dean
of Salisbury 11 July 1287 (unident. preb., list 67), and Stephen of Chichester,
who occ. as can. once, in 1270s (ibid.).

6. The first part of Rev. George Harbin's transcript (1735) of the lost Athelney cart. See S. Keynes,
'George Harbin's transcript of the lost cartulary of Athelney abbey', Som. Archaeology and Natural
Hist. cxxxvi (1992) 149-59. I am grateful to Professor Keynes for lending me a photocopy of the
transcript.

7. For his family and career, see Acta of Hugh of Wells pp. xxviii-xxxi; for his lands and rents in
Wells, see Cal. Ch. Rolls I 131. He is erroneously called Hugh de Neville in Rot. Litt. Pat. p. 82b.